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Project Partners
The Southeast Asian University Partnership for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation (SAUP) project aims to expand and intensify the partnership between Marburg University and three partner universities in Southeast Asia in the field of peace and conflict studies. The participating partner universities are located in countries or regions with a history of conflict that has shaped them.
The overarching partnership aims to improve the capacities of universities in developing and emerging countries in Southeast Asia in the field of peace and conflict studies. It seeks to support the provision of high-quality education in relevant study programs, thus contributing to developing societal expertise in conflict resolution. The network encompasses the following partners partners:
Universidade da Paz in Timor-Leste (UNPAZ)
The Universidade da Paz in Dili (Timor-Leste) was founded after the end of the violent occupation by Indonesia with the aim of strengthening the higher education sector in the reconstruction of the country.
In cooperation with the legacy institution Centro Nacional Chega! a comprehensive Teaching Module on Transitional Justice and a Guideline on Archival Research were published. Through tailor-made agreements with universities their contents are being disseminated into higher education in the country. Exchange between youth and survivors of conflict and the development of corresponding films Chega! fosters intergenerational dialogue. With SAUP support, the partner university Universidade da Paz (UNPAZ) developed extensive materials for the re-accreditation of the B.A. program in Peace Studies and promoted student-lead peace initiatives.
Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology in the Philippines (MSU-IIT)
The Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (Philippines) is based in Iligan City, North Mindanao, which has recently experienced repeated armed clashes between religious groups, and has therefore been given a special mandate by the Philippine government to promote peace in this region.
At the partner university Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), the program supports refining the M.A. program in Peace and Conflict Transformation, including the introduction of micro-credentials. Further, it contributes to the Regional Scaling of Peace Education and to Mainstreaming Peace Competencies in General Education Courses. Already about 2,000 students per year participate in the mandatory course Fundamentals of Peace Education. Together with SAUP, the student volunteer organisation MSU-IIT Youth Chain of Peace (MYCoP) implements a wide range of innovative activities and outreach initiatives to promote peace and nonviolent solutions in Mindanao.
Chega!
Centro Nacional Chega! is a public organization committed to advancing the recommendations of the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation (Comissão de Acolhimento, Verdade e Reconciliacao de Timor-Leste) that has been collaborating with The Southeast Asian University Partnership for Peacebuilding (SAUP) since 2022. Its mission is to institutionalize memory and promote human rights through education, training, and supporting vulnerable survivors of human rights abuses.
A major focus is on creating educational resources to be integrated into school curricula. Reflecting this, Centro Chega! updated its strategic plan in 2024, set to be implemented from 2025 through 2030. The plan’s overarching goal is to preserve, promote, and make the history of memorials accessible, thereby deepening public understanding of human rights. It also seeks to incorporate content from Chega! and Per Memoriam Ad Spem into both formal and informal education programs.
Royal University of Phnom Penh
The Royal University of Phnom Penh is Cambodia's oldest and largest university. Like the country itself, RUPP was deeply affected by the Khmer Rouge regime, during which higher education was dismantled and much of the academic community was lost. Rebuilding the university sector has been a central part of Cambodia's recovery, and RUPP today plays a leading role in higher education and in training the country's future professionals.
SAUP has been cooperating with RUPP since 2025, working with the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Faculty of Development Studies and the Department of Media and Communication. The focus of the cooperation is twofold: strengthening peace and conflict studies within RUPP's curricula, and connecting academic learning with peace practice in Cambodia.
Marburg University
Today, looking back on almost 500 years of higher education, Marburg University is a modern, research-oriented university offering a broad range of study subjects and degrees. In 16 departments, 360 professors and approximately 2.400 scientists (4.600 academic and non-academic employees in total) conduct research and teach approx. 22.000 students. The University is an international and cosmopolitan university. It pursues its internationalisation with the aim of improving the quality of research and teaching, ensuring the international employability of its graduates and increasing its competitiveness in international and national comparison as well as its international visibility.
The Center for Conflict Studies (CCS) at the University is a multidisciplinary unit. The work of the CCS is currently represented by 50 people; including all scientific personnel from professors to student assistants. The CCS offers a minor in peace and conflict studies for undergraduate students as well as two MA programmes. In its research, the CCS primarily focusses on policies of post-conflict peacebuilding and transitional justice, on memory politics, on dynamics of polarisations, and on human rights in peace and conflict.
The specific role of the CCS at Marburg University is to promote professional exchange and provide expertise in curriculum development in the specific field of conflict transformation. The SAUP regional network will leverage synergies between the three countries and aims to involve partner universities in global exchange programmes and research projects on higher education. The CCS will benefit from this joint project through a mutual learning experience with the project partners in Cambodia, Timor-Leste and the Philippines.
ECCC
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) were established under an agreement between the Royal Government of Cambodia and the United Nations. With the support of the international community, the ECCC investigated crimes that occurred between 17 April 1975 and 6 January 1979 under the Khmer Rouge Regime and assisted the people of Cambodia in their pursuit of justice, national reconciliation, and peace.
After the end of the judicial proceedings the ECCC has been carrying out its residual mandate since 2023. This includes the establishment and maintenance of the ECCC Archives, outreach activities in schools and universities and to to continue to ensure the protection of witnesses.
In cooperation with SAUP there have been several Learning Sessions at ECCC on Transitional Justice in the Cambodian Context aimed at educating Cambodian University students and fostering discussions on memory, reconciliation and lasting peace in the Cambodian society.
National University of Battambang 2022-2025
The consequences of Cambodia’s violent past run deep and confront the country with large challenges regarding Higher Education reconstruction. Despite all, given the countries violent past and the need to start from scratch after the violent genocide, Cambodia has made tremendous advancements in the provision and expansion of the Higher Education System. As of today, the National University of Battambang is the biggest public university in northwest of Cambodia.
The cooperation promoted exchange visits among students, researchers, staff, and lecturers, as well as joint research projects in the field of Peace and Conflict Studies. During these visits, participants not only became familiar with the respective university structures and campuses but also joined classes and workshops, enabling lively and productive discussions on subject matter and teaching methods. Additionally, both parties benefited from a exchange of curricular materials related to Peace and Conflict programs.
